The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a moulded article, in particular for interior linings of motor vehicles.
In particular, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a moulded article, in particular for interior linings of motor vehicles, with the use of a substrate layer in the form of a plastic fibre mat comprising a contact side and a rear that is opposite the aforesaid, and a covering layer or decorative layer in the form of a plastic film comprising a visible side and a rear side that is opposite the aforesaid, which layers are resting one on top of the other as an arrangement in a tool. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for laminating a multilayer plastic component comprising edge folding, and in particular a moulded article made of plastic with spatial surface contours, in particular for interior linings of motor vehicles, with the use of a substrate layer and a decorative layer, as well as to a device for laminating a multilayer plastic component. In particular, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a multilayer plastic component in which an ABS substrate or a PP substrate is laminated with a decorative layer.
From DE 40 07 829 A1 a method for manufacturing a lining panel is known, among other things comprising: simultaneous hot pressing, preparing and penetrating a resin-impregnated substrate for manufacturing a formed substrate; applying an exterior part of a cover layer to an area of the formed substrate while arranging a sandwich layer comprising a hot-melt adhesive plate in between; pressing the exterior part of the cover layer against the formed substrate in the state while the formed substrate is still hot in order to create an unfinished lining panel that is covered by a cover layer; wherein edge regions of the part of the cover layer that are to be edge-folded are attached to the circumferential back sections of the felt with the use of an adhesive connection.
DE 43 03 459 A1 discloses a device for laminating the front of a moulded article with a sheet-like material and for edge folding the edges, which edges protrude beyond the moulded article, of the sheet-like material to the rear of the moulded article with the use of die stamps, by means of which the protruding edges of the sheet-like material are edge-folded to the rear of the moulded article where they are affixed.
DE 197 50 285 A1 describes a method for laminating a substrate, as well as a device for implementing the method. In this arrangement a substrate-layer and a covering layer in an edge-zone, which forms the edge folding, are connected together by thermoplastic welding.
From EP 0 603 498 A1 a method and a device for connecting a decorative layer or covering layer with a substrate layer are known, in which by means of an edge section of a decorative layer or covering layer edge folding is carried out. In this arrangement the decorative layer and the substrate layer, which in each case rest against two separate tool components, are heated and bonded together by means of compression moulding. The compression-moulding tool is designed in such a manner that in this state the edge region of the decorative layer is situated on the central tool component on which the aforesaid rests in the initial position. Furthermore, the exterior edge section is cooled by the top of an edge-folding slider that is situated underneath this outermost edge region of the decorative layer. Furthermore, raising the edge region to be edge-folded, of the decorative layer, together with an edge region of the substrate layer takes place in that the edge-folding slider moves up from a position in which it is at first located below the edge region to be edge-folded, and in this process raises the edge regions of the decorative layer and of the substrate layer together with the edge section to be edge-folded of the decorative layer. By means of moving the edge-folding slider in the direction of the centre of the central forming tool, inward-pushing of the outside edge section of the decorative layer and thus edge folding takes place. Subsequently, by means of the rear of the slider, the edge-folded edge section is pressed onto the rear of the substrate component. This method is based on an already cured substrate layer and decorative layer, which layers themselves are dimensionally stable. The process of edge folding depends on shaping by one of the tool parts, because the edge section of the decorative layer is raised by the substrate layer being pressed on. However, if the component to be manufactured is not to comprise a corresponding curvature at the edge region, which allows such a special shape of the respective tool component, then raising and edge folding the edge region of the decorative layer is possible only with major effort and with probable damage occurring to the visible side of the decorative layer. Furthermore, bonding or welding the edge-folded section of the decorative layer to the rear of the substrate layer with this method is not possible or is possible only in a very uncontrolled manner, if at the same time the visible side of the decorative layer is not to be damaged with certainty.
EP 0 792 734 A2 describes a method for manufacturing a moulded article with a surface covered by laying material or decorative material by back-moulding the laying material or decorative material placed in a moulded article cavity with a plastic material, and by edge folding the end of the laying material or decorative material, characterised in that the end of the laying material or decorative material is attached after the edge-folding injection moulding process by being pushed into the still plastically-formable moulded article. In this process, during the back-moulding process, the laying material end or decorative material end is held, outside the cavity of the moulded article, on its opposite surface sides by an inner and an outer slider. Edge folding takes place in a first step by means of the two sliders, and in a second step after removal of the inner slider by onward movement of the outer slider.